Lidia's
Commonsense Italian Cooking

In
her beautifully illustrated new cookbook, Lidia Bastianich lays out a
comprehensive curriculum of wise cooking tips--from the cutting board
to the kitchen table. Channeling the instructive elements from her TV
show, she teaches us that a good dose of common sense is the key
ingredient to a stellar meal. As storyteller and chef, she draws on
anecdotes to educate and illustrate. Recalling lessons learned from her
mother, Erminia, and her grandmother Nonna Rosa, Lidia pays homage to
the kitchen sages who inspired her.

Lidia's
Commonsense
Guide to Italian Cooking is a
collection of 150
delectable recipes, told with commonsense cooking wisdom, that teaches
us how create simple, seasonal Italian dishes with grace, confidence
and love.

Whether it's Citrus Roasted Veal, or Rustic Ricotta Tart, each recipe
is a tangible feast. We learn to look at ingredients as both geographic
and cultural indicators. In Campania, the region where mozzarella is
king, we discover it best eaten three hours after preparation. In
Genova we are taught that while focaccia had its basil origins in the
Ligurain culinary tradition, the herbs and flavorings will change from
region to region; as home chefs, we can experiment with rosemary or
oregano or olives or onions! When it's time for dessert, Lidia draws on
the scared customs of nuns in Italian monasteries and convents and
reveals the secret to rice pudding with a blessing.

Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking
150 Delicious and Simple Recipes Anyone Can Master
by Lidia Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich ManualiKnopf,
2013Order
a copyReviewed
in The
Book Stall